Equalizer for car-trucks



[No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. A. CURTIS.- BQUALIZER FOR GAR TRUCKS.

Patented Apr. 26,1898.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. A. CURTIS.

EQUALIZER FOR GAR TRUCKS. I

Patented Apr. 26,1898.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFlCE.

EDMUND A. CURTIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EQUALIZER FOR CAR-TRUCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,055, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed March 131 18 7- T0 (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND A. CURTIS, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Equalizers for Car-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement upon the car-truck for which I obtained Letters Patent of the United States No. 560,155.

The general object of the invention is to provide a car-truck upon which the body is mounted in such manner as to minimize oscillations, shocks, and jars.

In my said invention a car-truck is described in which equalizer-bars are mounted upon pivots located in the vertical plane of the axles and having springs on their ends for supporting the car-bodies. In said patented construction the inner ends of the equalizer-bars are not connected with each other, and hence each bar acts to a certain extent independently of the other. I have found that such construction while well adapted for some purposes is capable of improvement, particularly when employed to support long and heavy car-bodies, and it is to these improvements that my present invention is particularly directed.

The present invention consists in a connection between the inner ends of the equalizerbars, so that the several springs of the structure are each and all brought into requisition to sustain the car-body, thereby enabling the use of lighter springs than cpuld be practically employed where said equalizers are disconnected.

My invention is shown in the accompany ing drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of car-trucks embodying my invention and showing the employment of two kinds of springs. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one mode of connecting the equalizer-bars, and Fig. 4. is a sectional detail showing a spring-box and mode of connecting the equalizer-bars shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings let 5 represent the truckframe,and 6 the pedestals thereof,upon which are pivoted, in the plane of the axles, the

equalizer-bars 7. Said bars are connected at their outer ends by fiat transverse spring plates 8, and on the outer ends of said bars Serial No. 627,342. (No model.)

which consists in, providing the ends of the bars with ofiset portions 13, which are overlapped and slotted and connected by the headed pin 12. Upon the connected ends of these bars are mounted, as shown in Fig. 1, the coiled springs 14.. The several springs are connected longitudinally by the bodysupporting bars 15.

As shown in Fig. 2, the pivotally-connected ends of the bars 7 are embraced by the jaws 16 of a spring-box, said box having upstanding threaded lugs 17, between which the middle portions of the leaf-springs 18 are clamped by the plate 19. The pin 12 passes through slots in the overlapped ends of the bars '7.

The car-body is mounted upon the longitudinal bars 15 and in service is upborne by the springs. The downward movement of one end of the car-body will tend to compress the end springs at that end and to rock the equalizer-bars on their pivots, which rocking will be opposed by the springs mounted upon the connected ends of the equalizers, which will be elevated to correspond with the depression of their outer ends. All of the intermediate springs therefore are compressed simultaneously and equally, and the equalizer-bars being pivotally connected the rocking movement of the body is restrained by the combined action of the intermediate springs and also by both pairs of end springs. Thus supposing that the end of the car-body resting upon the springs at the right-hand side of the body descends owing to inequalities in the track the springs at that end will be compressed and the intermediate springs will be likewise compressed, while the springs at the opposite ends of the truck will be extended, their extension serving to restrain the rising of that end of the car-body. Therefore any vertical movement of either end of the car-body is resisted by all of the springs of the truck, and the entire spring force is thus utilized to resist oscillations.

on between their ends in the vertical plane of the axles, the inner ends of said equalizerbars having a sliding pivotal connection with each other, each equalizer-bar having both of its ends free to move relatively to the carbody, and body-supporting springs mounted on each end of said equalizer-bars and interposed between said bars and the ear-body, substantially as described.

EDMUND A. CURTIS. Witnesses:

FREDERICK O. Goonwnv, L. F. MOCREA. 

